IQNA

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Hawaii says US President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to restrict foreigners’ travel to the country is just the latest outgrowth of his stated aim to enact a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the country.

The state asked a federal judge in Honolulu Tuesday for
permission to challenge the third iteration of the president’s travel ban,
scheduled to go into effect Oct. 17.

Hawaii said the latest ban, like its precursors, is
unconstitutional. It will also impair the state’s tourism industry, prevent the
University of Hawaii from recruiting qualified individuals and undermine its
refugee resettlement program.

The revised policy, issued Sept. 24, limits or bans entry
into the US from eight countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Chad,
North Korea and Venezuela. It supersedes a ban that had affected six mostly
Muslim countries and is indefinite, while the second travel ban was for 90
days.

Hawaii is challenging the president’s "continuing efforts to
impose a sweeping policy banning the entry of refugees and nationals of
Muslim-majority countries,” according to the proposed amended complaint, which
seeks to block the executive order from taking effect.

The second version of the ban had reached the Supreme Court
after lower courts mostly blocked the president’s orders. The high court
dropped the travel-ban hearing it had scheduled for Oct. 10 but hasn’t decided
what to do with the underlying case.

While the Trump administration told the high court last week
that it should dismiss the pending case, challengers urged the justices to
review the policies, even while saying they may prefer to let lower courts hear
arguments on the new order.